


Say something real

by YouSetTheTone



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-16 18:32:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13059708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouSetTheTone/pseuds/YouSetTheTone
Summary: She’d thought they were long past strictly professional, yet that was exactly how Cat was acting // She’d once told Kara that the worst decisions she’d made were based on fear, this was one of them





	Say something real

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redfield5x5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redfield5x5/gifts).



> Part of the Super Santa Femslash 2017
> 
> I loved both prompts and couldn't decide which one to write for a long time. I started with the first one then switched, and eventually finished both. I hope you'll enjoy them.
> 
> Prompt: mutual pining, until someone just can't stay silent anymore, bonus points if something dramatic happens before the confession, like a near-death experience/villain of the week
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @youwritethetone

As an alien who had arrived on Earth when she was 13 years old, Kara was no stranger to being confused by all things human. Their languages, their traditions – she’d had to learn a lot. The Danvers had taught her most of what she needed to know in order to navigate life among humans. She’d learned the languages and she enjoyed some of the traditions. Apart from the occasional slip up, Kara would say she was doing well.

Humans interactions had been trickier, but she had the hang of it – mostly – and she thought the small group of friends she had was proof of that. Tonight, however, sitting on her couch with a pint of ice cream as only company, there was one human who confused Kara more than anyone else on this planet.

Cat Grant was talented, and strong, and caring, and beautiful, and Kara was a tiny bit in love with her.

Loving Cat wasn’t something new. No, it was something that had slowly built over the course of almost 3 years, Kara never thinking twice about it, until it had hit her right in the face a few weeks ago that she was in love with her.

The months that had followed her promotion and the revelation of her identity – after Myriad, there was no point in denying it anymore -  had been filled with moments shared in either one of their offices. Cat had started it. She had just showed up in Kara’s office one day, claiming her new assistant’s wardrobe was worse than Kara’s. Kara had laughed at the jab and Cat had left a few minutes later. The next time she’d known Cat was staying late, she’d brought her dinner and offered to help. After that, it became a habit for them to show up in the other’s office.

But a few weeks ago -  six weeks and four days ago to be precise - Kara had walked into her office to find Cat relaxing on the couch Kara had invested in – after one too many complaints from Cat about the chairs – eating the M&M’s Kara kept in one of her desk drawers. Kara had smiled and thought that she wouldn’t mind if one day she came home to find Cat snuggling on their sofa.

There had been no panic, only a moment of quiet acceptance. Naturally nothing could ever come of it. Cat didn’t see her that way. And Kara would rather have Cat in her life as a friend than not to have Cat at all. It sucked and it hurt but it was what it was.

Loving Cat was easy. There was nothing confusing about it. What Kara didn’t understand was why Cat was suddenly pulling away. Two weeks ago, Cat had come with Carter to Kara’s small holiday party, and since then Kara had barely seen her. No visit to her office, no staying late working side by side, her texts receiving only short answers.

Kara sighed and ate another spoonful of ice cream. She’d thought they were long past strictly professional, yet that was exactly how Cat was acting.

 Kara missed her friend and it was starting to affect her mood. She’d caught Alex looking at her questioningly a few times and it wouldn’t take long for her to start asking questions. That was the last thing Kara wanted. She needed to know what was going with Cat.

One week, Kara decided. She would give it one more week before confronting Cat.

* * *

The following morning Kara stepped out of the elevator determined to follow her plan. Go to work, greet Cat, focus on her job, wish Cat goodnight, go home. Repeat for the next seven days.

Whatever was going on with Cat, maybe all she needed was some time to herself. Kara could give Cat time. At this point, there was little Kara wouldn’t do to have things get back to normal.

Keeping her plan in mind, she headed for James’ office first, greeting other colleagues on the way. When she found his office empty, Kara frowned. He was usually there before her. She caught one of the photographer on James’ team on her way out.

“Hi, do you know where James is?”

“Sure, he’s in Miss Grant’s office.”

Kara thanked her and made her way to Cat’s office. Once the office was into view, however, she stopped dead in her tracks. James was sitting in Cat’s chair, speaking on the phone. Her heart sank. James was in charge. Cat wasn’t there.

She almost turned around, but she had to know for sure. She swallowed her disappointment and entered the office just as James was hanging up the phone.

“Hey James. You’re the boss today?” she asked, hoping he wouldn’t see past the fake cheerfulness.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Today and for the next two weeks.”

“Cat left for two weeks?”

James seemed surprised.

“Yeah, she – uh – she’s in Europe to visit the London and Paris branches. She didn’t tell you?”

“No, no, she didn’t.” Kara must have sounded more hurt than she would have liked because James tilted his head to the side, his eyes questioning. She tried to laugh it off. “You know, she’s really busy, I’m sure it just slipped her mind.”

 “You’re sure you’re okay, Kara?”

“I’m fine. I should probably get going. Don’t want to be late for the editorial meeting. Thanks James.”

Kara was out of the office before James had time to say anything else. She couldn’t believe that Cat had left without so much as a word. Kara wanted to believe it had nothing to do with her and before maybe she could have. But now? Visits to Catco’s offices around the world were always planned beforehand. This wasn’t. With the cold shoulder she’d been giving Kara, it couldn’t be a coincidence that she’d left now.

Fine, Kara thought. If Cat needed time and space away from her, she wouldn’t go looking for her. She wouldn’t try to contact her at all. Her plan still stood and over the next few days, Kara arrived early and finished late. With no big emergencies for Supergirl, she had never been more productive, meaning that Snapper was pleased. Her friends and family, however, were not.

It was Alex who finally dragged her out on Friday night.

“James called me. He’s worried. And I haven’t seen you all week except at the DEO,” Alex said as she pushed Kara inside the bar.

“I don’t want to talk Alex.”

“Fine, we’re drinking first.”

They settled at the bar and Alex ordered for them, whiskey for her and Aldebaran rum for Kara.  They drank quietly but Kara wasn’t fooled. Alex knew something was wrong and if she wanted to talk, there was no getting out of this for Kara. At least, she wouldn’t have to be sober for that. She ordered a second and third drink while Alex stopped after one. She was trying to order a fourth one when Alex intervened.

 “Okay, I think that’s enough. You’re already going to feel sorry in the morning.”

“I still don’t want to talk.” She folded her arms across the counter and laid her head on them.

“Fine, you don’t have to talk. Just listen, alright?” Alex asked. A muffled groan was all the agreement Kara gave. “I wasn’t going to say anything but you haven’t been acting like yourself, especially this week. And when James mentioned that Cat had left, I - ”

Kara jerked her head up and scowled. “This has nothing to do with Cat.”

Alex arched a brow, looking amused by her outburst.

“I notice things. Things that I wouldn’t have necessarily seen before I met Maggie.” Alex paused and gently grabbed one of Kara’s hand. “There was no mistaking the way you looked at her during your party.

“Alex, I -” Kara tried to protest but her sister didn’t let her.

“Like I said, I wasn’t going to say anything because…you looked happy, Kara,” Alex said with a soft smile. “And she did too. But something’s obviously changed and I know I said you didn’t have to talk, but I’m going to ask anyway. Did you two break up?”

“We’re not even together, Alex,” Kara corrected. “Whatever you saw between us, you were mistaken.”

“Really?”

“Well, maybe not on my part,” she admitted. “She doesn’t know and I’m not planning on telling her so, please, please, don’t insist on that.”

“So what happened between you two ?”

 “I don’t know, Alex,” she answered honestly, her voice breaking at the end. “She just...stopped talking to me.”

Alex wrapped an arm around Kara’s shoulders, pulling her into a sideway hug. “I’ve got you.”

 

* * *

 

A few days later, all the way across the ocean, Cat was watching the city slowly coming alive from the windows of her hotel room. She had awoken an hour ago after only four hours of fitful sleep. She wasn’t bothered by it. She liked the darkness of the early morning hours. She could hide in the shadows and watch without being seen. That was what she was going after all – hiding.

Cat should have seen it coming. In fact, she did see it coming.

The minute Kara Danvers had walked into her office and claimed there was nothing special about her, Cat had known it was a lie. Anyone who managed to surprise Cat had to be special. It also made them dangerous.

She’d foolishly thought that calling her Keira would be enough to keep the distance. She should have done more to stop Kara from getting close. She had tried, once, and had hated every second of it. Strictly professional simply didn’t work with Kara, Cat had accepted that. Being friends with Kara was easy. She was passionate, and smart, and kind. And if anyone ever suggested that Cat felt anything other than friendship for Kara, she would deny it.

Unfortunately, everyone had their breaking point.

She shouldn’t have gone to Kara’s party. But Carter had been excited and in the end Cat had been unable to say no to her son.

The evening had not gone the way Cat had expected it.

Not only had everyone been wonderful to Carter, including him in their conversations and engaging with him about his interests, but apart from a few awkward minutes at the beginning, they had not once treated her as the boss or as the Queen of all media. She had only been Cat, one of Kara’s friends.

When Kara had smiled and pulled her into a tentative hug at the end of the night, Cat had felt at home.  _Kara_ felt like home. It was this realization that had made her push Kara away and, after a couple of weeks, she couldn’t stand to look at Kara’s disappointed face every time she dismissed her anymore.

Cat didn’t form meaningful friendship easily. Building your media empire didn’t allow for that and once you were at the top, people often wanted things from you, they wanted to get ahead. But Kara was genuine and Cat had opened herself up to her. She’d let Kara become one of her closest friends. Cat was afraid she would lose that if she told Kara about her feelings.

Cat had made some quick arrangements and had flown to another continent.

She’d once told Kara that the worst decisions she’d made were based on fear, this was one of them.

Two weeks in Europe, yelling at her overseas employees, hadn’t changed anything at all. It had only added guilt. Besides, Cat Grant didn’t hide. Kara had taught her better than that. Tomorrow she would be flying back to National City and she was going to fix this.

On the bedside table, her phone buzzed, startling her out of her thoughts. It was either someone who didn’t know she was away or it was an emergency – why else would someone be calling at 6am.

The caller id told her it was Carter. He was staying with his father but he would be calling her unless something was wrong. She picked up immediately.

“Carter, are you alright?”

“I’m fine but, Mom, you should turn on the tv.”

 “Carter, what’s going on?” she asked as she walked to the TV stand and grabbed the remote.

He answered at the same time she pressed the switch ON button and the images appeared on the screen. “It’s Supergirl.”

* * *

Cat was on a plane towards National City within three hours. After making sure Carter was okay, she’d packed as quickly as she could and booked the first flight she could find.

By then she’d watched the news report so many times that she had memorized every word of it.

_A fight between Supergirl and an unknown threat broke out at approximately 8pm in National City. Video showed National City’s favorite superhero being stabbed with a bright green weapon before she fell from the sky._

Cat recognized the glowing green blade slicing through Kara’s body. She’d seen it before, during Myriad, on the suit Alex Danvers had worn. Cat didn’t know what it was exactly but she did know this - It could be deadly to Kara.

_Federal agents intervened within minutes but we’re still waiting on an update on Supergirl’s condition. The threat has been apprehended._

The knowledge that the secret organization Kara was working with had caught whoever did this didn’t bring much comfort. The images of Kara crashing on the ground were burned in Cat’s memory and she wouldn’t be appeased until she saw with her own two eyes that Kara was alive - any other outcome being unacceptable. She didn’t know where Kara had been taken but she would use every connection, collect every favor she was owed, to get that piece of information. She would call the president herself if she had to.

After what felt like the longest plane ride of her life, they finally landed. She hurried to where the car was waiting for her but was surprised to find a woman, dressed in black tactical clothes, standing next to her driver.

“Cat Grant?”

“Yes. Who is asking?”

“Ma’am, I’m Agent Vasquez,” she said, showing Cat a badge from the FBI. “I was told to pick you up from the airport.”

Agent Vasquez stood straight and met Cat’s scrutinizing gaze. Under normal circumstances, Cat wouldn’t climb in a black SUV with a FBI agent if she wasn’t a given a good reason to. But these weren’t normal circumstances and she had a feeling that Agent Vasquez, if that was even her real name, wasn’t from the FBI. It appeared that Cat wouldn’t need to call Olivia.

She instructed her driver to take her luggage back to the penthouse before following Agent Vasquez to her car. 

“You’re not FBI,” Cat stated as they were leaving the airport parking lot.

“No Ma’am.”

Cat had only one other question. “Is she okay?”

“She’s alive.”

Cat breathed out in relief and the rest of the drive was spent in silence. When they reached their destination – one of National City’s many buildings and not half-buried barracks in the middle of the desert like Cat had expected – they took an elevator that lead them straight to the top floor.

Alex was waiting for them as they stepped out into the hallway. Cat took a good look at her. She was tired, that much was obvious. Cat guessed she hadn’t slept much, if at all, during the last 15 hours. But apart from the clear signs of sleep deprivation, Alex didn’t look distressed or extremely worried, and Cat took that as a good sign that Kara would be okay.

Kara’s sister nodded at Agent Vasquez, who promptly left, before turning towards Cat. “Ms. Grant.”

“Agent Danvers, I assume I have you to thank for the car ride.”

“I had a feeling you would fly back once you saw the news.” She gestured to the bullpen full of computers and monitors. “As you can see, we had the means to find out when you would be landing.”

“Why?”

She didn’t mean to ask but it slipped out anyway. This wasn’t the treatment she’d expected to get from Kara’s sister. Alex had to know about Cat’s attitude towards Kara over the last month, and yet she had gone out of her way to make sure Cat was kept in the loop.

“Some people run when they’re scared,” Alex answered, and Cat was almost offended. But Alex wasn’t judging; she was speaking from experience. “You’re not as subtle as you think. I’ve seen the way you look at her. And in spite of everything, I think Kara would want you here.”

It was unsettling for Cat to have someone she didn’t really know read her so easily. All they really knew about each other was from what Kara had told them. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards. They did have one thing in common. Alex loved Kara too. If the situations were reversed, she’d want Cat to call her.

 “Take me to see her, please,” Cat finally said.

Alex motioned for Cat to follow her. “She was stabbed in the shoulder with a weapon made specifically to hurt her. It didn’t hit anything major, but she passed out from the pain. We were lucky she only lost her powers after she crashed or it would have been way worse. We cleared the kryptonite out of her system, repaired her shoulder as best as we could, and placed her in a sunbed. Once she regains her powers, her body will heal itself.”

They stopped in front of one of the room in the medical wing. Through the glass walls, Cat could see Kara sleeping. Her supersuit was gone, replaced instead by a black t-shirt, and grey sweatpants. Her right arm was in a sling and it looked like she had sustained a few bruises on her face and arms from the fight.

“How long until she gets her power back?”

“A few days or a few weeks, we don’t know exactly. It’s only the second time it’s happened to her.”

“The earthquake,” Cat stated quietly, head still turned to look at Kara. “And there’s no reason to believe she won’t make a full recovery?”

Alex shook her head. “She woke up about 2 hours ago. We gave her more painkillers and she fell right back asleep. I’ll be in the next room if you need anything.”

The weight on her chest lightened and for the first time since getting Carter’s call, Cat breathed easily.

“Agent Danvers,” she called out before saying more softly. “Thank you.”

Her answer came as both a warning and a request. “Don’t leave again.”

She disappeared into the other room. Cat lingered in the doorway of Kara's room before walking in. She ignored the plastic chair, preferring to stand by Kara’s bed instead.

“If you can call that a bed,” she said under her breath.

“That’s what I keep telling them,” Kara rasped before opening her eyes.

“You’re awake.”

Cat resisted the urge to touch Kara, to actually feel the warmth of her skin under her fingers. She reasoned, after everything, it might not be welcomed.

“I heard the click of your heels.” Kara sat up, gritting her teeth through the pain that had to be radiating through her shoulder. “I thought you were in Europe.”

 “I flew back as soon as I saw.” She cleared her throat and admitted, “I should have never left in the first place.”

“Why did you then?” Kara’s tone was angry, betraying the hurt Cat had caused. “Because if you were tired of me, you could have just said so.”

“Oh Kara, how could you…” Her voice wavered, and she paused to get her emotions under control. “I didn’t leave because I was tired of you, I don’t know how anyone could ever be.”

“You have a strange way of showing it.”

Kara lowered her head and Cat finally caved, reaching out with her hand to caress her cheek. Kara leaned into the touch that they apparently had both been craving for.

“Do you have any idea how terrifying you are to me, Kara?” Cat said. Kara looked up, unshed tears in her eyes. “I have a tendency of screwing up every relationship – of any kind – that I have in my life. And you, I let you in, and Carter, he adores you.”

“So when you believed you’d eventually drive me away, you thought the best solution was to push me away,” Kara concluded for her. “Look how well that worked out.”

“I never said it was smart,” she huffed.

“You should have given me more credit than that. I was your assistant for two years before we really became friends, Cat. Why would you think there was anything you could do that would make me leave?”

This was the moment Cat had dreaded, the reason she’d left and the reason she’d come back. She had promised herself she would try to fix things and Kara wouldn’t accept anything but the truth.

“You got too close and I…”

“You what ?”

 “You’re really going to make me spell it out, aren’t you?” Cat said with a shake of her head. “I wanted more, Kara.”

Kara seemed confused at first, but Cat saw the exact moment she understood the implications of what Cat had said. Her mouth formed a little ‘o’ and the frown faded.

“You mean you w-want…” Kara stammered the way she always did when she was nervous. Cat usually found it endearing but her own nervousness made her impatient.

“To take you on stupid romantic dates, yes.” She rolled her eyes. “There’s no need to be so surprised.”

And Kara laughed. She laughed so hard a few tears escaped while Cat looked at her like she had grown another head. She made to leave, save herself from further embarrassment, but Kara grabbed her hand before she could take even one step away. Kara’s laughs finally subsided when the shake of her body jostled her injured shoulder and she groaned in pain.

“Are you finished?” Cat asked.

“I’m sorry, Cat. I wasn’t laughing at you. I promise. It’s just…Alex was right.” Kara squeezed her hand. “She told me the other night that for people who supposedly knew and understood each other so well, we were being idiots on this one. Something about being so busy thinking the other couldn’t possibly love us back that we didn’t see what was right in front of us.”

Cat’s heart skipped a beat. She’d run all the way to Europe when she didn’t have to. Well, she was never one to do things halfway.

“I didn’t believe her,” Kara continued. “But you’ve just said you’d left because you were scared your feelings would screw up our friendship. Alex was right, and your feelings, they aren’t ruining anything at all.”

They really had been stupid.

She laced their fingers together, rubbing a thumb over Kara’s knuckles. “I’m sorry.”

The apology was overdue, perhaps Kara had already forgiven, but Cat needed to say it.

“It’s alright, we all get scared. Don’t do it again though, please.”

Cat nodded. She could do that. They still had plenty to talk about, once Kara was healed and when Cat wasn’t feeling the lack of sleep catching up on her. She didn’t believe it would be easy. She still had 4 failed marriages behind her after all, but she wasn’t willing to add a failed relationship with Kara to that.

“I want to kiss you so badly,” Kara said suddenly. Cat inhaled sharply which didn’t go unnoticed by Kara, who looked pleased with herself. Until she yawned unexpectedly and reminded the both of them that she needed to rest.

“I think we can wait until you’re feeling a little more super.” Kara pouted but lied back down anyway. Cat teased, “You can collect your kiss when you’ve rested, Supergirl."

“It’s going to make you forget your own name,” Kara said sleepily.

And when Kara woke up, she made good on her promise to Cat.


End file.
